The Event Management bridge

The Event Management bridge

The Event Management bridge contains everything you need to market, sell and deliver any event following the tried and true Gap process.

Tip
Use this bridge to plan any sized event - from a small gathering in your boardroom to a large event at a conference centre.
Note
Hosting events is a highly effective education marketing strategy, allowing you to share your knowledge and position your firm as proactive without product pushing.

To access the Event Management bridge, go to Navigation panel > Bridges > Event Management bridge.

Understanding the Event Management process

Events are an efficient and engaging method of delivering education marketing to your existing and prospective clients. Holding educational events positions you and your firm as proactive experts while taking the 'hard sell' out of positioning your Business Development and Advisory services. The Event Management bridge has blank templates for you to use to deliver your bespoke events using the process we use for our seminars and webinars.
  1. The Process Guide outlines best practice use of the content in the Event Management bridge; click the Download Process Guide button in the top right-hand corner to view this guide.

Tip
Ensure each event has a clear call to action for attendees.  Offering complimentary and low-cost resources or service options is a great way to get attendees on the value ladder. 

Marketing your bespoke events

Ideally, you'll have a six-week lead time to market your event to ensure you can deliver a number of marketing activities and engage your referral networks. The size of the event will dictate the marketing lead time required. Use the Event Plan Template to clearly articulate attendee learning outcomes and points of value, event goals, target market, budget, and determine your schedule of marketing activities.

The Marketing folder contains email templates you can use to create your marketing emails then copy and paste into BOMA or your preferred email campaign platform. There's also a Flyer Template you can use to advertise your event in your reception and boardroom and send to your referral network, and a Voucher Template to offer complimentary tickets to your event.

There may be certain clients who you know would benefit from attending the event. Partners and senior managers should use the Sales Call Script available in the Selling folder to call key clients to invite them to the event; either offering complimentary tickets or stating the price.

Important info
Getting 'bums on seats' is critical to the success of your event. You'll need a more layered marketing campaign to get adequate registrations. This will likely include the people in your organisation who have influence calling or emailing suitable clients.

Using BOMA to market your seminar

  1. We recommend using the BOMA platform to send your marketing emails.
  2. Go to Navigation panel > Marketing  > The Gap + BOMA > The Gap + BOMA Content Library Catalogue  to find additional educational content relevant to your event topic - that you can use for further marketing (with a call to action to register for your event).

Delivering your bespoke events

Event duration

The timing will depend on your unique delivery and the level of engagement with attendees. It's better to overestimate the length than underestimate - attendees will appreciate having spare time if the event finishes early rather than running over time. 

Your event should have enough time for the presentation and 15 minutes for Q + A at the end. We recommend inviting attendees to stay for refreshments and networking after the event.

Preparing for the event

Review the Event Management Tactics Guide to prepare for the face-to-face event. This guide is designed to support you as you deliver educational events and covers:
  1. Building your PowerPoint presentation
  2. Preparing for the presentation
  3. Engaging the audience
  4. Using flipcharts effectively
  5. Ensuring attendees complete the Evaluation Form
  6. Post event follow up
The Administration Checklist and Event Run Sheet help your team to prepare for the event so everyone knows their role and no details are missed.

The PowerPoint presentation

Download the PowerPoint Template and customise it for your event:
  1. Follow the instructions on slide 1 to update the PowerPoint, then delete the slide
  2. Update the slides with key points for each topic; remember less is more when it comes to PowerPoint presentations
  3. Add animations and transitions for effect (where relevant)
  4. The Facilitator should record a script for each slide in the speaker notes area
  5. Ensure the call to action from the event is clear, i.e. how your attendees can engage you to improve their outcomes

Workbooks

Workbooks could be prepared, printed and provided to attendees in a presentation pack, along with a pen, evaluation form, and Service Cards for appropriate services. Or, you could provide attendees with a digital presentation pack, including a digital workbook and online evaluation form. Use the Workbook Template in the Delivery folder or develop your own bespoke workbook.

Practising your delivery

It's essential the presenter has practised delivering the presentation a number of times to ensure confidence.
  1. The presenter should practise delivering the presentation in presentation mode
  2. Some presentations may require you to switch between the PowerPoint and other software or websites - practise this several times
  3. The presenter should practise delivering the event in the room the event will be held in, using the microphone, clicker and flipcharts
  4. The PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes should be on hand during the seminar but used only when required

Calls to action

As an outcome of attending an event,  attendees should have a clear call to action. List the service options relevant to the event in the Next Steps slide of the PowerPoint.

We recommend that your event has:
  1. A complimentary service option, e.g. a resource relating to the event topic or a questionnaire to help attendees implement their learnings
  2. A low-cost service option, e.g. a DYI version of the full service option with a review meeting or a phone call
  3. A full service option, e.g., one of the Gap services

Reviewing your events

Use our Event Management Evaluation Form template in the Delivery folder to gain feedback from attendees. Ensure all attendees are encouraged to evaluate the event. Ideally, allow five minutes for everyone to complete their evaluation (either via a paper form or online survey) before ending the event. 

Important info
The Event Management Process Guide contains tips to ensure attendees complete the evaluation form and tick a box to request a service. 

Post event follow up

Ensure you have a clear process to follow up with attendees regarding their feedback. Use the Event Management Evaluation Summary to collate the feedback and services requested on the evaluation forms. 
  1. Send a thank you email to attendees the day after the event - a template is available in the Delivery folder
  2. Send complimentary resources or service options within 24 hours of the event
  3. If an attendee requests a service (and the presenter positioned the price of the service during the event) a proposal should be sent within 48 hours
    1. If not, you should discuss price and client objectives to ensure you have conceptual agreement before sending a proposal
  4. Engage attendees who haven't requested a service but have provided great feedback - these attendees should be followed up by a Client Manager or Partner
  5. Send a follow up email 5-7 days after the event to those who didn't request a service or a complimentary meeting - a template is available in the Delivery folder

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